Rains dampen New Year celebrations

Bhubaneswar: Intermittent rains and chilly weather on Wednesday dampened the spirits of New Year festivities in Odisha, forcing people to cancel outdoor parties that had been planned to welcome in 2015.

With weatherman predicting rainfall to continue over the next 24 hours, plans to bid adieu to 2014 and prepare a grand welcome for 2015 have gone for a toss.

The people have had to rearrange their parties and events inside their homes or hotels as rains threaten to spoil the fun.

“We had planned to go for a picnic to celebrate the last day of the year. But as the rain is playing spoilsport, we have decided to celebrate it in a hotel,” said Rajiv Sahu, a resident of Bhubaneswar.

Inclement weather has, however, failed to deter some.

“First, we will go to a hotel to dance and dine with friends. Then, we will enjoy the rain. The rain cannot be a deterrent to our spirits,” said Sumit Behera, a youth.

The Bhubaneswar director of the Indian Metrological Department, Sarat Sahu said rain may continue over the next 24 hours while the weather would remain chilly.

Hotels across the state are ready for the celebrations and are providing enticing offers to attract customers.